The spring of 1824 is a challenging one for the inhabitants of Paradise N.Y. when a flood devastates the village. But for Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner, itœs also a time of reunion as their children return from far-off places: Lily and her husband from Italy, and Martha Kirby, the Bonnersœ ward, from Manhattan. Although Lily is nursing her own grief, it is Martha, fleeing a crushing humiliation, who brings with her trouble that will reverberate in all their lives.In the sudden peace that follows the storm, as families struggle to rebuild, childhood friends Martha and Daniel, Lilyœs twin brother, suddenly begin to see each other in a new light. But their growing bond is threatened when Marthaœs mother arrives back in Paradise a decade after abandoning her daughter. Jemima Southern is a dangerous schemer who has destroyed more than one family, and her anger touches everyone, as do her secrets. Has Jemima come to claim her daughteror does she have something else in mind? Whatever happens, Martha and Daniel and all the Bonners must stand united against the threats to both heart and home.